AKB48 is one of those implausibly big Japanese supergroups manufactured to license an infinite number of products of increasingly levels of creepiness for their largely male following. Their music is sometimes catchy, mostly saccharine stuff built by a pop-o-tron, generated for its 86 members to shake it to in tightly-choreographed routines and it's the antithesis of music as I love it.

And yet, I would love to see "AKB0048," the September release, which imagines the band of music heroes who inspire a group of futuristic freedom fighters to resurrect their music and moves to take down an evil, pop-stifling overlord. It's "Rock and Rule" meets J-pop as Section23 picks up the first season of this series (and more) for their September releases.

September 3

"AKB4008 Season 1" (DVD, Blu-ray)Synopsis: The year is 0048, and in the wake of the great wars, all forms of entertainment have been banned by the dystopian and iron-gloved rule of the anti-music DES. To combat this threat to intergalactic harmony, a group of bold young women have resurrected the legendary J-Pop band AKB48 and formed an all new Band of Sisters - AKB0048! But these rocking rebels aren't simply singers! Trained in combat as well as choreography, these striking strike team members are equally at home in concert halls and in the trenches. Under the leadership of the mysterious Sensei Sensei, they're ready to lay down their lives in order to make the universe a safe place for getting your groove on! And as a fresh new team of singer-soldiers join the cause and enter basic training, the batons and battle gear are about to be passed to a new generation of daring divas! Get ready to polish your dancing boots and dive into danger with the latest hard hitting hits as the new recruits take the staging ground and the veterans provide the musical soundtrack to their own action epic in AKB0048!
"Elfen Lied The Complete Series" (DVD, Blu-ray)Synopsis Critics have described Elfen Lied as "weird," (Anime Planet), "surprisingly sadistic," (Gamers Edge), and "addictive" (Animesou). No wonder, when you consider what makes this series hum! Lucy, a beautiful young mutant, is bred by the military to be the ultimate weapon. Now, with government killers on her trail, the disposition of a five year old, and a hair trigger for ultraviolence, Lucy and her young friends must unravel the dark secret of her legacy before it's too late.

September 10

"Patlabor TV Collection 2" (DVD, Blu-ray)Synopsis: Piloting a giant robot isn't just a job, it's an obsession. At least it is if you're Noa Izumi, the dedicated young pilot of the SV2 Team 1's Ingram, which she prefers to refer to as "Alphonse." Unfortunately, Noa's not the only driven female in SV2's lineup, and when fate puts Kanuka Clancy in charge of Noa, not only do fireworks ensue, but Captain Goto decides to throw a little alcohol on the fire! But that's far from the most dangerous situation facing the thin steel line, and between escorting visiting royalty and pop singers at one extreme, and facing off with mysterious phantom robots on the other, there's no rest for the weary, overworked squad. And when someone starts sending threatening messages to Goto and potentially deadly "accidents" start occurring, it's up to the whole force to band together and find the culprit before someone on the Ingram team has their plug pulled permanently! The bad guys will learn the hard way that you NEVER mess with girls who pilot robots bigger than your getaway car as SV2 stomps out crime in MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR TV COLLECTION 2!

"This Boy Caught A Merman" (DVD, Blu-ray)Synopsis: They say look before you leap and make sure you can swim before you go in the deep water, but when a picture of his late grandfather falls into the ocean, Shima jumps in after it without thinking. Nearly drowning as a result, he is instead saved by a very perfect stranger… one whose strangeness extends to only being human from the waist up! For Shima, who's always felt like a fish out of water himself, it's more than just a revelation, and the young man and merman quickly begin to bond in ways neither anticipated. And yet, it's going to be far from easy sailing. After all, Shima and Isaki aren't just from opposite sides of the tracks, they're from entirely divergent species, and swimming in separate gene pools may make maintaining a long term relationship a whole different kettle of fish! Will they be like ships passing in the night, or will they be willing to take the ultimate plunge and answer the siren call? Things are going to get wet and wild as Shima and Isaki make a huge splash in THIS BOY CAUGHT A MERMAN!

September 17

"Golgo 13 Complete" (DVD, Blu-ray)Synopsis: His targets never see it coming and he's never caught. If there's a witness to the kill, that poor SOB winds up dead too. People say he's a ghost. A machine. A monster. He's Golgo 13, the most feared assassin in the world, the professional's professional, the killer of killers. And now he's back with 50 targeted missions that will keep you glued to the screen (and away from the windows). Load up for high-powered, bullet-riddled action with Golgo 13!

September 24

"Nyan Koi: Complete" (DVD, Blu-ray)Synopsis: Saying that Junpei Kosaka's allergic to cats is something of an understatement, just thinking about cats can make him sneeze. A fact that seems to be lost on his mother and sister, who both ADORE cats. And if that wasn't bad enough, when Junpei inadvertently damages a statue of a cat deity, he becomes cursed with the ability to understand felines. Now Junpei must perform one hundred great favors for cat-kind or face the fate of being turned into a cat himself! Life quickly becomes a purrfect hell as every cat in the neighborhood starts sending Junpei their list of "requests." But it's not just the cats: the local Yakuza's daughter is playing cat and mouse; the monk's daughters are acting catty; Junpei's childhood best friend is ready to use him as a scratching post; and the girl he has a secret crush on is as cat crazy as the rest! Get ready for the ultimate catfight on the road to purrdition in this cataclysmic complete collection of Nyan Koi!

Queen's Blade Rebellion Complete" (DVD, Blu-ray)Synopsis: Power corrupts, and it when it appears that the once noble Queen Claudette's ways have turned to oppression and heretical persecution, it's up to a new generation of warriors to step up to the plate armor to bear arms and bare their naked fury in open rebellion! The odds may seem unfairly stacked in favor of the Amazonian ranks of the queen, doubly supported by her power of writ and assassins. But the incredible wits and assets of the dazzling array of daring damsels willing to risk their gorgeous skins and put their lithesome bodies on line against her, might just expose a few unexpected weaknesses in the queen's support! It's the wildest fantasy ever as an unprecedented force of fabulous female fighters… from elven alchemist to half-demon berserker, from undead pirate captain to dragon maid… all come together with the goal of stripping the queen from her throne in QUEEN'S BLADE: REBELLION!